The Mountain of Never-Ending Snow
by Areptesay
Summary: Darkness is spreading across the land and has driven a wolf named Craul, not yet one winter old, from his home and into a Mountain, where he meets a fabled wolf named Ly. Together, Ly and Craul must journey through the land and into the forest of Yarbourgh to stop the darkness from poisoning the land and all that is in it. Can they stop it in time or will all be be lost to this str


The wolf Craul struggled with every step, his numb paws, frozen to the bone, spewed blood from his horribly cracked pads every time he took a step. The fresh blood mixed with fallen snow creating a smeared blood path that was quickly covered by the blizzard that was upon him like a predator that had its prey in its paws. It played with him like a cat with a mouse. The wind hissed in his ear chilling his already iced over ears. For a brief moment he paused. Squinting, he broke the ice that had crawled over his eyelids, almost gluing them shut. He saw nothing but white tear across the landscape, sparing nothing from its icy horrors. His beautiful brownish- red fur, sprinkled with snow, giving him a white dotted appearance, whipped wildly back in-forth like it had its own life and wanted to escape his pelt. It snapped back and forth so quickly, his skin was on fire from feeling as if his brownish-red fur was being ripped out by the merciless wind. His ragged breaths created nothing but small see-through clouds that disappeared as soon as they came, ripped away by the howling wind. He shut his yellow-bronzed eyes which had gold flakes that shone bright and wild when the sun hit them, as if some fire from the sun was captured and stored in the small flakes.

Craul looked down at his paws that had ice forming over them as he watched. There was no sun here, no warmth. He put his left paw in front of him, willing his body forward with his mind; ignoring the pain that burned like fire. He trudged on, one step at a time. The wind and falling snow teased him saying he couldn't do it, that he was nothing more than an undeveloped wolf, a pup. He slowed his steps and took a fighting stance. He growled, biting at the wind and baring his teeth. _Too late_, he realized, that he had made a grave mistake. As soon as he bared his teeth, the assault of the water chilling wind began. He snapped his mouth shut as fast as he could but it was too late. It hadfrozen the salvia in his mouth leaving his teeth frozen together. He screamed in his head for his mouth would not open now. He's gums burned like molten lava was poured all over them.

He blew warm breath in his mouth, willing the ice to melt but to no avail. His eyes began to water at the pain, so intense, but he realized if he did the tears would freeze his eyes leaving him completely blind. He quickly blinked the tears away, saving him fear, distress, and more agonizing pain. The wind slowed, but just barely, the snow drifted more slowly and less heavily. Craul, numb and cold, did not detect the slowness of the wind or snow. He shook his head to clear his mind, taking small breaths through his iced nose, feeling the cold and hurtfulness in his lungs when he took each deep breath of cold air. He flapped his pelt wildly to rid himself of snow that weighed him down heavily, knowing it would do no good.

Craul put his right paw, caked with snow and swollen with pain, in front of him, only to have it slide out from under him. He fell harshly on his left side on a snow bank, the ice that was hidden by the harmless looking snow dug into his pelt and speared into his fragile and benumbed skin, drawing blood. He didn't cry out, even if he could. He lay there broken and battered, feeling utterly defeated and lost. The ice on his mouth released its grip slowly but clung on with all it had in it. He felt water from the melted ice in his mouth and greedily swallowed it, grateful for the water being warm. The wind cried and cried at him to stay down, it was tired of fighting it. The snow agreed, piling itself on him, trying to bury him alive as if it would take the pleasure on itself. _Yes, yes, it would be so easy to give up and just lie here and melt in with the snow_, he rationalized. The wind howled in joy. He felt his cheeks began to swell with water, with a gulp he realized he had just swallowed the last bit of melted ice in his mouth. He ran his rough tongue over his sharp teeth to make sure there was no more ice left on his teeth. He briskly opened his mouth taking gulp after gulp of air, ignoring the pain in his lungs. The wind slowed and the snow fell even slower and less heavily. The snow,it seemed,was suspended in the air, defining gravity itself. He looked up at the dark clouds that covered the sky, the snowflakes danced around his eyes and head; they appeared like little white lights against the dark, black sky. He got up on his two front paws, in a sitting position he looked around with sleepy looking, half closed eyes against the slow on-coming wind. The snow that had buried him came off in an avalanche off his body.

He rose up from his two paws and took a step with his right paw, still bleeding and swollen, held his weight. He tried his left paw and got the same reaction. He sighed and continued his perilous journey. He kept walking and raised his head to look at the sky and its soft flurries that fell from it. _Why did the snow stop falling quickly? And why did the wind stop being so strong?_He asked himself, putting his head down to look at the landscape. The white snow banks laid everywhere, like white clouds that had fallen from the sky and had landed in clumps on the ground. The white remained every direction he looked in. He felt deflated when he looked behind him to find that his bloody footprints were not going to be covered quickly by the lazy snow. His yellow-bronze eyes combed the area for shelter to no luck. He took a deep breath through his nose for a scent. Finding none, he put his head down and dragged himself on.

The mountain became uphill a tiny bit; Craul had to force his screaming, aching muscles to push on through. The wind tickled his ear, laughing at how it annoyed him. It did it again and this time the snow joined in with it. The wind brushed his ear leaving snowflakes clinging to the inside of his ear. They laughed and turned away going towards another victim back from where he came from. He had no sense of direction besides what was behind him and what was in front. The snow that had clung to his ear melted and slide down into his inner ear. He shook his head in annoyance to get the water out of his ear. He was very thankful that the wind had stopped blowing so hard or the water in his ear would have frozen in his ear.

All of the sudden, a fierce wind kicked up and almost blew Craul straight off his feet and tumbling along the ground. He barely held his own against the wind, pressing himself flat against the ground digging in with his claws with all his might. The wind funneled and turned into a snow tornado formed in front of him almost sucking him into it. He clung with dear life to the ice snow under his feet that was disappearing quickly like sand through his paws. The snow tornado turned round and round whipping snow into itself while sending whipping winds into his face slapping hiseyes with winds. He cringed and closed his eyes, now useless. As quickly as the winds and the snow tornado appeared, it quickly disbanded and evaporated into thin air.

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked rapidly to get his vision back to where he could see well. The wind had done a number on his eyes. When he was able to see again, Craul saw in awe that in place of the snow tornado stood a beautiful, sleek, and well fed wolf. Its fur was snow white and had a coat that looked as fluffy and soft as a cloud did. Its paws, tip of its tail, and the tips of its ears were all pitch black with no sign of being beached by the sun. But it was her eyesthat captivated Craul the most. Its eyes shone light blue with dark blue and black mixed though out its eyes, so strong and yet caring. They were the color of pale icy blue. It flipped its tail side to side lazily at if it was at ease, that this was her element and Craul and had just walked into it. It had years of experience, it seemed, that was beyond its years. The wolf's eyes were half closed, testing him with will yet not force. Craul know he should bow down but something defied the right to wolf. He did not know this strange wolf that appeared before him, he did not know its rank. Instead, he stood up taller; made sure his fur was laid flat, and stared into the wolf's eyes. The wolf showed no response. No surprise, no _I know it_ in its eyes, just caring and testing.

The wolf opened its mouth. "Who are you?" it said with the stern of a disciplined teacher and that of a well-caring mother.

Craul knew instantly from its voice that it was a she-wolf. The caring yet strong will should have tipped him off when he met her.

"Me? Who are _you_?" he asked her. It was not her place to show up and ask him who he was when she had appeared out of nowhere.

She shook her headlazily as if she was too tired to respond with words.

"Who are you?" she asked again in the same voice she had before.

"I..am….Craul." He said. His breath came in raged gaps. He was aware of hard if was to breathe suddenly. Every intake of air hurt his lungs.

His vision began to swirl and blur, his breathing became shallow and slow, and he couldn't take big deep breaths. He felt like he was running out air.

"Wait…" he called weakly, not knowing if he was leaving this world or not. He did not want to give up yet. Something compelled him to wait and find out this beautiful she-wolf's name.

His vision faded in and out with his breaths. His vision swirled and he swayed in the wind before after a few fighting breaths toppled over on his right side.

"Wait….who..are…you..." he asked in a weak whisper which he was sure was torn away by the slow wind.

She stepped close to him, bent down her head, and stared into his almost lifeless eyes.

"A friend" she replied and smiled, thenpicked her head up.

He was struggling to breathe now as his vision faded. He stared past her and into the snow beyond. The light colors dimmed and one by one swirled as they faded into black.


End file.
